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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Jo's Rosemary Bread

This bread is so good that I've already made it twice. The olive oil in it gives each bite a silky mouthfeel and the herbs and seasonings make it one of the most flavorful breads ever. It's the perfect addition to any dinner and would make awesome rolls as well. Give it a try!

Combine the warm water with the sugar and sprinkle in the yeast. Let sit 5-10 min. until foamy. Add the olive oil, Italian seasoning, black pepper, rosemary, and 1 c. flour. Stir to combine.

Add the salt and the rest of the flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-8 min. until it is elastic and passes the windowpane test (i.e. Pull off a small piece of dough and stretch it with your fingers until it's so thin you can nearly see right through it (like a windowpane). If you can manage to do this, you've kneaded it enough. If not, keep kneading it.) You will probably end up kneading in another 1/4-1/2 cup of flour in the process.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a well-greased bowl. Turn the dough to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. At this point, you can cover it with a towel and place it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Or, you can make the dough the night before and place it in the fridge to rise overnight, which is what I did.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and shape it into a loaf. You can either make a freeform loaf and put it onto a cookie sheet, or you can make one 9x5 loaf pan or three mini loaves. After shaping the loaves, cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake about 20-25 min. (mini loaves) or 30-35 min. (large loaf) or until golden brown.